QT 12/12/2022 Isa 9:1-7, Birth of God precedes the Judgment of God

Isaiah 9:1–7 (ESV) —

1 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

2 The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great light;

those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,

on them has light shone.

…

6 For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

and his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and of peace

there will be no end,

on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

to establish it and to uphold it

with justice and with righteousness

from this time forth and forevermore.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

 

NOTE: Someday, the final part of God's plan will come to pass. Even now, the Lord is preparing the world for that day. There have been evil days in the past, definitely much more physically evil than today. But a new evil is growing, an evil in the heart that opposes all that God has called good. This new evil rejects the teachings of God and imposes a new anti-God message. They take pride in their sin and the rejection of God's word. What should bring shame now brings empathy and support. They do not understand the justice, righteousness, and holiness of God. He will not overlook our sin.

 

Isaiah 9:15–19 (ESV) —

15 the elder and honored man is the head,

and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail;

16 for those who guide this people have been leading them astray,

and those who are guided by them are swallowed up.

17 Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men,

and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows;

for everyone is godless and an evildoer,

and every mouth speaks folly.

For all this his anger has not turned away,

and his hand is stretched out still.

18 For wickedness burns like a fire;

it consumes briers and thorns;

it kindles the thickets of the forest,

and they roll upward in a column of smoke.

19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts

the land is scorched,

and the people are like fuel for the fire;

no one spares another.

 

While the passage appears to refer to some specific actions against Israel, it is well supported in other passages as God's actions that are coming against us. The days are evil. We live in the age of apostasy even in our churches. How long O Lord?

 

PONDER:

1. What am I doing to stand up for truth?
2. What am I doing to pray for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven?

 

PRAYER: Father, I pray for friends and family that don't you or only think they know you because of the false security of religions that don't teach actual truth, only worldly-feel good lies. Open eyes to Jesus this Christmas season. May it not be too late.

QT 12/23/2021 Isa 9:6-7, Two most important events in history (incarnation and resurrection)

Isaiah 9:6–7 (ESV) —

6 For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

and his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and of peace

there will be no end,

on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

to establish it and to uphold it

with justice and with righteousness

from this time forth and forevermore.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

 

NOTE: This is a great verse prophesying the incarnation. This child or son is "born." And this same child is called "Mighty God" and "Everlasting Father. In other words, since it is a prophecy, God will be born upon the earth. He will somehow be God and yet a descendant of David. And this child fulfills the promise of a kingdom without end. The words of this prophecy are too specific to write-off as a metaphor or luck guess -- God will be born. And he was, in the most humblest of places because there was no room for him. He was hated by the elite, he was ignored by the religious, but he was worshipped by the needy and low.

 

PONDER:

1. Where do I fit in the range of responses?
2. There was no room for him when he arrived. Is there room for him in my life?

 

PRAYER: Father, I pray we would not ignore the greatest gift of all time. The world went on, not knowing what had happened. The signs were in abundance throughout his life. I want to remember his birth (the incarnation) and his resurrection from the dead -- most especially this Christmas season.

QT 12/6/2021 Isa 7:14, The infinite meets the finite

 

QT 6 Oct 19, Isa 53:7, People need to know our faith more than our petty accomplishments

Isaiah 53:7 (RSV) —

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

yet he opened not his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb,

so he opened not his mouth.

NOTE: Jesus committed no crime. His motives were entirely pure. He was not selfish. He did not think of himself higher than others. He loved people. Of all people to be oppress or afflicted, he was not guilty of anything except working to free mankind from the slavery of sin. He died an innocent man and also a guilty man, because he carried the sin of every person who ever lived. In contrast, my hackles are raised by those who speak against me. What's worse is that sometimes they are right. I am a sinner. My motives are not pure. I do think of myself more than I ought. I do not love all people. If Jesus could take the abuse, I should as well.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to keep my mouth shut. If people misinterpret my actions, so be it. I do not need for people to know my accomplishments or my background. What people need to know is that I have a faith in Jesus. That is what should define me to others.

QT 5 Sep 18, Isa 30:18, When waiting becomes the joy

Isaiah 30:18 (ESV) —

18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,

and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.

For the Lord is a God of justice;

blessed are all those who wait for him.

“And Patience was willing to wait.”—Pilgrim’s Progress.

NOTE: God waits for me to learn to wait. I suppose it must be even more frustrating for God. I think I am the one having a hard time waiting. I would hate to be the one waiting on me to learn a lesson. Maybe my problem is what Patience learned to do. I need to be willing to wait. Rather than see it as an obstacle I must change my attitude -- why can't I be willing and excited to wait upon God, knowing that God's graciousness is near. That will be my goal, to change my attitude about waiting. God wants me to wait and I am willing to wait for his best and not my best. It is better anyway.

PRAYER: Father, remind today of the excitement of waiting. I want to change my attitude. I want to see waiting as much a reward as the thing I think I am waiting for. Father, change me.

QT 26 Apr 18, Isa 45;7, God is sovereign over all things, even calamity

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
23	4/26	Isa 45:1-8	Isaiah 45:7 (ESV) — I form light and create darkness; // I make well-being and create calamity; // I am the Lord, who does all these things.	God is in charge, he brings all events to pass.	But God doesn't create evil or do evil. So when God says he creates calamity, we know that he has the authority to intervene but chooses not so, allowing the calamity to continue, and so in turn, becoming the author (the highest authority). For the believer, he works all things (including calamity) for good. But God does not sin against us. Nor does is rule over God's authority.	Father, thank you that you do see all things and you bring good out of it for the believer. I know I need to trust. I suppose I worry at times that I need some sort of calamity to cause me to seek you even more. Lord, I pray I would never take you for granted.

QT 6 Apr 18, Isa 6:9, Our blindness is the beginning of our judgment

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
21	4/6	Isa 6:8-13	Isaiah 6:9 (ESV) — 9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’	Isaiah volunteers to go and give a very important message to the people. But the message is not a pleasant message. It is a message of judgment. They will hear but not understand. They will see but not perceive.	I believe this judgment is increasing on our world today. We think we are smarter and have figured out life, but we do not realize that we don't understand or truly perceive  what is happening. Our emotions and our rebellion have clouded our thinking.	God, have mercy on us. Wake us up to your truth. Open the eyes of the blink and the ears of the deaf. Help us to truly see Jesus.

QT 5 Apr 18, Isa 6:1, No matter how bleak the world seems, God is still on the throne

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
21	4/5	Isa 6:1-6	Isaiah 6:1 (ESV) — In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.	In the year King Uzziah died, Isaiah saw the Lord. This is not an attempt to place an event chronologically, although it does that. These two distinct events are place here on purpose. The King died, but God still reigns.	It is easy to get discouraged when a great leader leaves or retires or goes home to the Lord. But God is still in charge. And while he may not intentionally direct people, he can work all things for good for his children (Rom 8:28). We need not be discouraged at leadership changes. God is still on the throne.	Thank you Lord that I need not be discouraged by world events or even the events in my own country. You are still on your throne, high and lifted up. Your train, which fills the temple, signifies that you are above all else in the universe. I need to trust in you and not in my feeble attempts to decipher life.

QT 26 Mar 18, Isa 48:8-10, He does not give up on his children no matter how frustrating we can be

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
20	3/26	Isa 48:6-11	Isaiah 48:8–10 (ESV) — 8 You have never heard, you have never known, // from of old your ear has not been opened. // For I knew that you would surely deal treacherously, // and that from before birth you were called a rebel. 9 “For my name’s sake I defer my anger; // for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, // that I may not cut you off. 10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; // I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.	God is frustrated with the people, and yet he plans to show them things that they do not even know yet. But they continue to deal treacherously with the revelation that has been given. They are rebels. But in his kindness he continues to work. They are being refined but are not refined. They are being tried by affliction but he is not finished. He restrains his anger despite our stubborn and hard heart.	And yet in all of this, he takes personal interest in us despite all our failures and rebellion. He loves us and does not give up on us. He will do what it takes to open our eyes to his truth and to transform us. He has not given up.	Lord, you remain faithful despite my failures. Have mercy on me. Thank you so much for your longsuffering toward me. Thank you. The words are inadequate to describe my emotion. Thank you.

QT 21 Mar 18, Isa 40:18, We cannot liken God to anything in his creation

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
19	3/21	Isa 40:18-23	Isaiah 40:18 (ESV) —To whom then will you liken God, // or what likeness compare with him?	In this passage, the question is asked how one would liken God? It is then related how a person will buy a nice piece of wood, and then secure a craftsmen to expertly shape his image. The Psalmist's reply is that this is foolishness -- you can't even begin to imagine God let alone liken Him.	We are much more sophisticated in our images. We create them in our mind. One such image is like this: "God is a God of love. He does not hate. He does not kill people. He only does good things (where good is defined by the person)." The problem is that this description is not true and is far too limiting a description of the infinite God.	Father, forgive us for redefining you in our image. Forgive us for imagining that we can conceive you. Forgive us for believing we can comprehend or understand the mind of God. We need to stand in awe of the infinite, and be satisfied with what YOU have revealed to us about yourself in the scriptures.

QT 19 Mar 18, Isa 40:12, Though we are less than insignificant, God chooses to love, care, and be mindful of us

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
19	3/19	Isa 40:12-17	Isaiah 40:12 (ESV) — Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand // and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure // and weighed the mountains in scales // and the hills in a balance?	This verse and the verses that follow describe the immensity of God. The picture is intended to exceed our imagination. The conclusion of the paragraph is that the nations are a drop in a bucket to God, barely containing any significance.	And yet, who is man that you God are mindful of him? We are nothing in the grand scale of the universe, even less than nothing. And yet God loves us supremely. We are on his thoughts and we are loved.	Father, I am humbled by your attention. I cannot understand it. I can't fathom it. The understanding is beyond my comprehension. All I can do is fall on my face and so most feebly, Thank You Lord.

QT 15 Mar 18, Isa 40:6, Death is only the next step

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
19	3/15	Isa 40:6-11	Isaiah 40:6 (ESV) — A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.	The point of the passage, which is explained more clearly in the following verses, is that man's physical life is temporal. It is like a flower, that is here for a season and then is gone.	But unlike the Babylonian world view of today, life does not end after a season. Physical life does end, but spiritual life begins with death. And physical life is restored after the rapture. The earth is renewed and we live back on earth in the millennial kingdom. This is true for the person who truly has experienced a life change by Jesus Christ. For EVERYONE else, the future is eternal destruction and separation from God.	Father, help me to not shrink back in sharing the truth message. It is absolutely true, and the world needs to hear it.

QT 14 Mar 18, Isa 40:1 & 3, Comfort is available to every person today if they would but humble themselves before God

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
19	3/14	Isa 40:1-5	Isaiah 40:1,3 (ESV) — 1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.  … 3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.	God promises to comfort his people. Verse 2 says that they have been paid for twice over. And then verse 3 prophesies John's ministry preceding the Messiah.	I wonder if the comfort and the "paid for-sin" is really Jesus. We really can't pay for our sins. Although I suppose the punishment for actions can be finite, the spiritual cost is infinite. But God comforts his people with the words, that a savior is coming. For us, the savior has already come. Comfort is available for all who will turn from their sins and confess Jesus as their savior. It sits out there awaiting all who will humble themselves.	Thank you Lord for the comfort I have in Jesus and his payment for all my sins, past, present, and future. I am so grateful and so comforted by that knowledge.

QT 1 Nov 17, Isa 53:8, He was "cut off" for me, who is undeserving

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
7	11/1	Isa 53:4-12	Isaiah 53:8 (ESV) — 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?	This verse reminds me of another verse: Daniel 9:26 (ESV) — 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. Two similar words: cut off. The first in Isaiah means to be excluded and the second in Daniel means to be ended. Both are also equivalently to be cut off, just difference senses.	Jesus life was given for my life and many others. He died in my place for my sin. He suffered my punishment and took away my guilt. He was guilty of no sin. He never wronged anyone. He never lied or stole or was jealous or tried to destroy a person's good name. He did call sin by its name, and in the case of the Pharisees, that was embarrassing. But everything he did was right. The one person who never had to die, chose to die for me.	Father, thank you for your love and the love shown in your son. I am undeserving. I continually fail to comprehend the magnitude of your love and what you did for me. Forgive me for my complacency toward you and with the gospel. Help me to be bold to share my story to others.

QT 30 Oct 17, Isa 53:2, Jesus is the proof of God's existence

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
7	10/30	Isa 52:13-53:3	Isaiah 53:2 (ESV) — 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.	Speaking of Jesus, Isaiah tells us that he will fail the world's standard for interest or entertainment. He would not make it as an actor. His popularity as a speaker was due to the compelling message and not his appearance. He was the word of God. He spoke the word of God. And as such, his words had a powerful effect upon people.	Most people who are against Christianity dare not read the scriptures. Many who have tried to refute Jesus by reading the scriptures have turned to him instead. It would take a very hard heart to ignore the beauty of Jesus' words. Jesus does not fit any of our stereotypes. God does seem to be in a category all of his own. He was not there for power or prestige or popularity or some self-indulgence in a psychological weakness. Jesus just was what he still is, God.	Father, thank you for the son. Thank you for the confirmation of the message personally. It is unarguable except if a person does not want to believe what was written. You have given the world tremendous evidence of your existence and who you are. Our refusal to believe is our own steadfast sin. Open our eyes to our foolishness. Help others to see Jesus in me.

QT 26 Oct 17, Isa 52:9-10, We have let the enemy lay waste to our souls

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
7	10/26	Isa 52:7-12	Isaiah 52:9–10 (ESV) — 9 Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.	Before salvation, we are all waste places. And physically, we live in a country that is becoming a waste place. At times, it even looks like it when we see the litter than covers the roadsides. But this passage is about an enemy who has laid waste a country. Our enemy is Satan and he has destroyed our culture. He has destroyed our nation, our morals, our beliefs, and our faith. He has substituted a new faith, the Babylonian world view, which is represented in Nebuchadnezzar's speech before he went crazy: "I am god."	Not only as a nation, but as individual, we have been laid waste by Satan. Our morality, our language, our civility, and our faith has been laid waste. We think we are own gods and that we direct the affairs of our life. We think no one rules. We think no one can tell us what to do. We think there are no consequences to our sin. We are blinded and deceived the farther we travel on the road to Babylon.	Father, open our eyes. Help us to see that life does not work without you. Wake us up. I pray for your spirit to convict us of our sin, your righteousness, and a coming judgment for our sin. Have mercy on us as a nation and as individuals.

QT 25 Oct 17, Isa 52:1, God will restore things as he originally planned for things to be

Wk	Date	Passage	Key Verses(s) [Optional]	Basic Thing(s) Taught	Personal Insight(s) & Application(s)	Prayer Response
7	10/25	Isa 52:1-6	Isaiah 52:1 (ESV) — 1 Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean.	God is telling Jerusalem that things will not always be as they appear. There will be a time of rejoicing again. Jerusalem will not be trampled by Gentile sinners but rather by saints. Things will be different. God will rule and righteousness will prevail. Right will not be scoffed at, and wrong will not be honored. Life will be restored to a manner that is healthy for our souls.	I struggle looking at the world around me and seeing the foolish choices that we make. We work so hard to prove that God does not exist, and yet there is more than sufficient evidence. Certainly the knowledge we have gained of our DNA is amazing. But Jesus visited the earth. His words, his message, his miracles, and his empty grave are more than sufficient evidence. To the person who argues otherwise, his argument is not an argument but an attempt to excuse himself from judgment.	Father open our eyes to truth. The enemy has clouded our minds with untruths. The enemy has create a word view, Babylon, that makes truth seem like babel. We think we are so modern and so clever, and yet we are such poor thinkers today. Have mercy on us, please have mercy on us.

QT 7 Mar 16, Isa 43:13, God is in control, but not as we want

Isaiah 43:13 (RSV)

13 “I am God, and also henceforth I am He;

there is none who can deliver from my hand;

I work and who can hinder it?”

NOTE: In the grand scheme of things, I certainly recognize God's sovereignty. And even in the smaller things, He still remains in charge. But these are actually two different things in my mind. In the former, he is bringing about His will and His plan. He is active and intervenes as necessary to accomplish that will. In the smaller areas, He allows man free will, and evil men exercise that will against His children. He is not unaware and He can intervene if necessary, but the scripture suggests that intervention is the more rare event. Romans 8:28 teaches us that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him. In other words, God takes the bad things the world throws at us (and the things that God chooses not to intervene or change) and works good in our lives. Working good does not mean it will be pleasurable or that we will not experience pain, only that it will be for our ultimate good and according to His will. So these areas, the grand scheme and the small individual day-to-day things are really quite different in how God's sovereignty is exercised.

QT 29 Feb 16, Isa 12:3, Life with God offers joy and peace

Isaiah 12:3–4 (RSV)

3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 And you will say in that day:

“Give thanks to the Lord,

call upon his name;

make known his deeds among the nations,

proclaim that his name is exalted.

NOTE: Pascal's wager argues that living by faith in God far exceeds the alternative with the prospect of eternity in hell versus eternity in heaven for those who believe. But I find another aspect that is not discussed, and that is, physical life on earth is far better than life without God. Now, that is only a personal opinion and does not have any scientific basis, but neither does the opinion that life without God is better on earth. Yes, I have struggled and suffered, but I do have a joy and peace to my life that I did not have in the days I lived without God. The world does not really offer any satisfying alternative. Its pleasures are empty and short-lived. Love, relationships, peace, meaning to life, and joy are far better living for God than living in rebellion. Another person can argue the complete opposite point, and that is his opinion as well. But I don't feel I have lost anything in Pascal's wager. And if there is no God, I enjoyed life and will end up in nothingness. And if there is a God, which in my mind and with very good evidence is true, I will end up in eternity with him, versus eternity in everlasting agony. I haven't lost a thing, and I gain everything, both now and in eternity.

QT 10 Feb 16, Isa 59-12-15, Truth, by definition, is not decided by opinion

Isaiah 59:12–15a (RSV)

12 For our transgressions are multiplied before thee,

and our sins testify against us;

for our transgressions are with us,

and we know our iniquities:

13 transgressing, and denying the Lord,

and turning away from following our God,

speaking oppression and revolt,

conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words.

14 Justice is turned back,

and righteousness stands afar off;

for truth has fallen in the public squares,

and uprightness cannot enter.

15 Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.

NOTE: These verses describe my culture today, as they did Judah's before her destruction by Babylon. It is interesting the nation whom God uses to execute justice. The other similarity is that, if this is the end times, he will use Babylon (or something that closely resembles Babylon) to destroy a similar nation. Verses 14-15 stand out to me. I realize that the person who does not believe in God would disagree with the assessment that truth has fallen in the public squares, but that is because we disagree on what truth is. Technically, our agreement or disagreement is inconsequential. Truth is or it is not truth, it does not depend upon another's opinion. If God exists and has revealed himself as he has testified and demonstrated through signs, wonders, and his actual appearance on earth, then what he says is true. Our unbelief does not negate God's truth. So, I believe truth has fallen in the streets. The upright cannot enter but are ridiculed. And if you try to live by the truth of God's word, you make yourself a prey to everyone around you who does not want to believe in God's word. Funny, they can't ignore you, but must attack you. But, I suppose that truth also falls on deaf ears.